Five workers of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) were crushed to death in Lagos on Saturday morning when a container fell on the commercial bus in which they were riding.
The workers, who belong to the Sanitation Unit of the church, were returning from the monthly vigil of the church at the Redemption Camp on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway when container fell on their vehicle at Ojota area of Lagos State.
The number of the bus in which they were riding was given as FST 944 XR.
Another bus was also crushed alongside the one in which the RCCG workers were riding.
Though the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency officially put the death figure at five, those at the scene, including the rescue workers, said no fewer than eight persons were retrieved dead from the wreckage of the two buses crushed by the container.
Three persons were said to have been rescued from the wreckage of the buses.
The General Manager of LASEMA, Adesina Tiamiyu, confirmed the development.
The accident was said to have occurred at about 4:02am.
Tiamiyu said: “The incident happened at about 4.45am.
“We got the the information about eight minutes later and we immediately moved down.
“We activated all primary rescue respondents.”
It took the responders several hours to get the victims out of the buses.
A statement by LASEMA said: “Investigation carried out by the ERT at the scene revealed that an articulated truck with registration number AKD 663 KF conveyed 40ft container Laden with plywood fell on Volkswagen commercial bus (Danfo) with registration number FST 944 XR which the passengers were trapped.”
The intention by the LASEMA Response Unit led to the rescue of three victims, who were taken to the Trauma Centre at the Old Toll Gate, while the remains of those who died were taken to Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary.
Other agencies at the scene of the accident were the Nigeria Police Force, led by the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni; the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad, Tunji Disu; Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, Lagos State Ambulance Service; Lagos State Fire Service; Federal Road Safety Corps; and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps.
